Chargers' ongoing DUI issues are beyond disappointing

Don't drink and drive. Have we heard that one before? Is it in Latin? Sanskrit? Greenlandic Norse? Apalachee? Just what makes this simple phrase so difficult to translate into English?

Many things professional athletes do are unfathomable. Much smarter people have tried to understand them and failed miserably. And I seriously doubt that, as sand continues to slip through my hourglass unchecked, I ever will.

Drinking and driving is at the top of the list. It's stupid when paupers do it, let alone millionaires, when it goes beyond inexcusable. Nevermind that they're not only endangering their own lives, but the lives of others, as we sadly see every day.

So we hear every excuse but the dog ate their cab fare. They think they're invincible. Untouchable. Above the law. Bigger than life. Their designated driver had more to drink than they did, so what were they to do? It's usually somebody else's fault.

Bull.

My personal favorite: They love their cars.

I love my car, too. I even hate to drive it sober.

Many just don't get it. It's true that, because they are who they are, they can slip up and have it shoved under the couch cushion. It happens all the time, happens too often here in this town. If only our local sports franchises would open up and tell all.

But many aren't that lucky – if you want to call it luck. I call it getting what they deserve.

The latest is Jamal Williams, the Chargers' splendid nose tackle. Early Sunday morning, he was pulled over and arrested on suspicion of DUI, the second time in four weeks a San Diego player – receiver Vincent Jackson, who had a prior DUI conviction, was the other – was nabbed before any damage other than embarrassment and career endangerment could be done.

This follows the footprints of the infamous Steve Foley incident, and the former Chargers linebacker used to preach the evils of drinking and driving in the locker room. The Chargers have a model program called Safe Ride Solutions that other NFL teams have adopted. If a player has had too much tipple, he can call a number and get a lift.

Of course, what good does that do when they won't even call a taxi or hire a limo because they love their inconspicuous Bentleys? All the team can do is try, and the Chargers do, but they have a problem. They're not alone, but they have a problem.

As our Chris Jenkins noted in Wednesday's editions, about 13,000 DUI convictions are issued each year in San Diego County, and all of them can't be Chargers. But when players screw up, unlike most of the other 13,000, it's going to get out. If it seems unfair, so be it. Like it or not, athletes are public figures with a responsibility to their teams, families and communities.

“I'm not angry,” Chargers boss Dean Spanos says. “I'm disappointed.”

He should be disappointed, but he also should be angry. His organization spends time and money educating its players. It has a solid program in place, and that's to be applauded, but this isn't jaywalking.

“We're trying our best to keep the players and the staff informed,” Spanos says. “It's a good program. If they keep doing it and keep doing it – people are responsible for their actions.

“But you can't overreact. I'm not excusing it by any means. I'm disappointed from the perspective that they have something at their means to prevent it.”

It seems there is more concern – perhaps rightly so – when offenses are repeated, as in the case of Jackson.

“When that file gets thick, beware,” General Manager A.J. Smith says. “A lot of things I'm not happy about. I'm proud of our program. We have over 70 players on this team and you do the very best you can, but sometimes it fails.

“The responsibility falls on the players, but it reflects on the football team, it reflects on me, personally, and it reflects on the player and his family. A lot of good people can make mistakes, but when you have too many, there comes a time when you stop and go in another direction. Regardless of their contracts, they're not safe, and Dean supports me. If you don't do the proper things, you will jeopardize being a Charger.

“Piling up stuff, the multiple offenses, is where we draw the line.”

In the Chargers' employ is Arthur Hightower, the team's director of player development. His job is to assist the athletes with off-the-field issues and to prepare them for life after football.

“It's always disappointing when this happens,” Hightower says. “You don't want it to happen on a frequent basis. When it does happen, you roll up your sleeves and look for ways to eradicate it. That's pie in the sky, but that's what you shoot for. You create an environment that supports doing the right thing.

“I'm not on the field, I'm off the field. I don't help guys tackle. I'm dealing with the lives of men, fathers and sons. Being in the position I'm in, I take it as a kick in the gut.”

He should be speaking for the franchise's gut. This crap has got to stop.